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Luc7, the blue group of proteins, against a background of human cells.

Splice of life

MIT News

February 20, 2025

The Burge lab has discovered a new type of control over RNA splicing, a process critical for gene expression. Appearing in a new Nature Communications paper, their study sheds light on how this control mechanism can go wrong—and serve as a potential therapeutic target—in acute myelogenous leukemias and other diseases.

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A Checkup for Checkpoint Blockade

MIT News

November 2, 2021

Why do some tumors fail to respond to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy? New research by the Spranger Lab, in collaboration with the Love and Wittrup Labs, suggests that non-responsive T cells may be dysfunctional due to differences in cytokine signaling during T cell activation in the tumor-draining lymph node. Their findings, published in Science Immunology, suggest that cytokine therapy could improve the tumors' response to ICB.

Shifting the Conversation Around Diet and Cancer

MIT News

October 26, 2021

Vander Heiden Lab researchers are applying new knowledge about cancer cell metabolism to better understand how low carbohydrate diets affect tumor development. By comparing a calorically restricted diet and a ketogenic diet in mouse models, the study found that the reduced availability of fatty acids played a major role in limiting tumor growth. These findings, published in Nature, do not recommend a particular diet, but rather, urge further investigation to determine how dietary interventions might be combined with existing or emerging drugs to advance patient care.

The work was supported in part by the Emerald Foundation, the MIT Center for Precision Cancer Medicine, and the Ludwig Center at MIT.

Adding Injury to Create Immunogenicity

MIT News

October 25, 2021

The Yaffe Lab, in collaboration with the Irvine Lab, is looking at novel ways to combine chemotherapy and radiotherapy with immunotherapy for more effective cancer treatment. In a study appearing in Science Signaling, tumor cells from mice were treated with DNA-damaging chemotherapy and re-injected back into the tumors before administering immune checkpoint blockade therapy.

Current conventions suggest that molecules released by dead or dying tumor cells can enhance immune cell response—a phenomenon known as immunogenic cell death—but here the researchers found that signals released by the still-living damaged cells were the ones inducing the greater immune response. This new approach, dubbed "immunogenic cell injury," could offer a viable treatment strategy for patients whose tumors have not previously responded to immunotherapy. The team will continue to test their approach using different drugs, dosages, and tumor types.

This work was funded in part by the Mazumdar-Shaw International Oncology Fellowship, the MIT Center for Precision Cancer Medicine, and the Charles and Marjorie Holloway Foundation.

Remembering Friend and Colleague David Livingston

MIT Koch Institute

October 20, 2021

It is with great sadness that we share the news that renowned oncologist and scientist Dr. David Livingston has passed away. As a longtime researcher in cancer genetics known also for his roles in research administration, leadership, and policy-making, Dr. Livingston was a member of the Koch Institute Scientific Advisory Board for more than a decade, and together with Tyler Jacks was the co-founder and co-leader of the Bridge Project. We are grateful for the generosity with which David shared his insight, time, and effort and offer our condolences to all of his family, friends, and colleagues.

Digging Deep to Fight Covid and Cancer

MIT News

October 14, 2021

KI member Regina Barzilay is one of the authors of a PNAS paper describing the use of deep learning models to identify synergistic drug combinations and drug-target interactions to combat Covid-19. The group's algorithmic approach is also being used to identify potential therapeutic combinations against pancreatic cancer.

Weighing Treatment Options

MIT News

October 5, 2021

The Manalis Lab’s suspended microchannel resonator platform has been adapted into a tool for predicting patient responses to specific cancer drugs. In collaboration with the laboratory of Keith Ligon at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, researchers measured glioblastoma cells before and after treatment with the chemotherapy TMZ in order to detect tiny changes in mass which indicate treatment response. Only half of glioblastoma patients respond to TMZ, and the genetic marker for TMZ is not a reliable predictor of sensitivity for all patients. A study appearing in Cell Reports and funded in part by the MIT Center for Precision Cancer Medicine demonstrated that the method accurately predicted response to TMZ. Travera, co-founded by Manalis and Ligon, is currently testing patient samples from several cancer types with the aim of developing clinically validated lab tests.

The Case for Cancer Vaccines

MIT News

October 2, 2021

For immunotherapy to work, T cells must recognize cancerous proteins, known as neoantigens, produced by mutated cells. Research from the Jacks Lab suggests that natural competition between T cells responding to different neoantigens limits the overall ability of T cells to control tumors. The team's findings, published in Cell and discussed on the NIH Director's Blog, demonstrate that therapeutic vaccines targeting neoantigens can alleviate T cell competition and may improve patient response to immunotherapies. Read primary author Megan Burger's interview with Oncology Times here.

This work was supported in part by the Bridge Project collaboration between the Koch Institute and Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center

Leading the Way for Science and Technology

MIT News

October 2, 2021

President Joe Biden has named Paula Hammond to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Co-chaired by MIT’s own Eric Lander and Maria Zuber, PCAST is an external advisory board providing the White House with information and policy recommendations on matters involving science, technology, education, and innovation. Hammond, a chemical engineer working in nanotechnology, brings deep expertise in solving human health and global energy challenges, as well as dedication to improving equity and representation in STEM and public health. As director Matt Vander Heiden noted in an email to the KI community, this is an incredible honor, deserving of both gratitude and congratulations. Cheers, Paula!

Cultivating a Love of Science

MIT Biology

October 1, 2021

Affection for school may not have been in Courtney JnBaptiste’s DNA growing up on a St. Lucia farm, but this KI alum found his MIT home studying microRNAs in Phil Sharp’s lab—first as a high school student and then as a graduate student. Today, he is a patent agent, helping to transform laboratory discoveries into therapeutic practices. 

The Ins and Outs of Metastasis

MIT News

September 29, 2021

The Manalis Lab, in collaboration with the Jacks Lab, uses a novel cell-counting device to measure the frequency at which tumors shed circulating tumor cells into the bloodstream and how long these CTCs remain in circulation before being cleared by the body. The team's findings, published in Nature Communications, offer a detailed view into the dynamics of metastasis and lay the groundwork for analyzing drug response in real time. This work was supported in part by the Ludwig Center at MIT.